One of the solidarity strategies PASC has been implementing since 2003 is international accompaniment, which consists of ensuring a physical presence along side social activists who are victims of political threats. An international presence, along with other forms of political pressure, have a dissuasive effect on perpetrators of political violence. Accompaniment therefore serves as a means of protection for social activists; It allows them to pursue their work and also helps legitimize what they do in the eyes of local officials.

PASC accompaniment helps support struggles led by local organizations and communities, and is only provided at the request of these groups. Accompaniment is a strategy that seeks to increase the space available for the work of social activists. Besides being a means of protection, accompaniment also provides psychological support to victims of state crime, allowing them to rebuild their sense of security and autonomy, so that they may continue their struggles.

Accompaniment, as a form of political support for processes of resistance, creates a space for exchange between activists, creating links of solidarity between northern and southern social movements in the Americas. PASC accompanimnet thus seeks to promote a sharing of experiences and knowledge that can empower participants from both the north and south. In the same vaien, the PASC collective's popular education efforts are designed, not only to reinforce the self-determination of Colombian communities, but also to enrich social struggles in Canada.

Accompaniment on the ground is done with organizations that belong to the Red de Hermandad.

The kind of accompaniment provided is based on the needs and priorities of our partners, as well as on the experience and interests of the person carrying out the accompaniment.

The length of a stay may vary between three months and a year, depending on the availability of the person providing the accompaniment. There are sometimes shorter stays available when there are special events requiring short term accompaniment.

Please note that it is sometimes possible for students to receive university credits as well as bursaries for accompaniment work done with PASC. Procedures vary from school to school.

Depending on the skills of the person doing the accompaniment, special projects may also be developed, such as:

contributing to psychosocial work being done by our partners with victims of State crime;

contributing to legal work being done by our partners (legal defense, undertaking recourse through the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, legal research, etc.);

contributing a participatory educational event or action in a specific field that helps to reinforce the autonomy of communities (ecological agriculture and construction, community health, community media, etc.);

A field work plan is elaborated by the partner organization seeking accompaniment. Usually the person doing accompaniment joins a "ground unit". The main space for coordination is within the ground unit, where participants can consult with and support one another. The ground unit does, however, remain in constant contact with members of PASC in Canada, and all decisions pertaining to the kind of accompaniment to be provided, PASC's strategy, risk analysis and security standards are made together with the Collective.

Accompaniment involves certain risks due to open armed conflict in certain regions and to the overall context of low-intensity conflict throughout Colombia. Human rights advocates are constantly threatened and their work is consistently discredited and often criminalized. A person doing international accompaniment, however, is in a privileged position due to their Canadian citizenship. Holding a legal stay permit; having access to a large support network of Canadian, International, and Colombian NGO's; being clearly identified as a person providing accompaniment; supervision and monitoring provided by established local organizations; communication with the Canadian embassy and Colombian authorities; and strictly adhering to security norms are all mechanisms that help to ensure security conditions for international accompaniment.

Risks are always made clear to participants. Throughout the training process, participants acquire the necessary skills to perform regular risk assessments and develop security strategies. Accompaniment teams are required to respect all security norms set out by PASC (whether in respect to the handling of information, interactions with armed forces, traveling in areas of open conflict, etc.).

PASC does not receive regular funding, so all costs relating to the basic operations of the project are covered by donations made in solidarity by other Canadian organizations. For this reason, the costs related to accompaniment trips are the responsibility of participants. PASC can, however, offer help in organizing fundraising events and help participants in obtaining donations.

The training period is a process that takes place over a minimum of three months which includes several readings, group trainings, as well as individual follow-up meetings. Throughout the process, with the help of PASC collective members, candidates must actively prepare for their field work (making contact with our partner organizations, developing skill-sets, outlining a work plan, etc.) as well as attend to the logistics of the trip (preparing a visa application, vaccinations, insurance, etc.).

Training sessions are made up of workshops, discussions, individual and group exercises, as well as scenario simulations.

All people carrying out accompaniment commit to creating a "report back" activity after their trip to Colombia in order to share their experiences with their networks. This activity may take the form of a conference or workshop in the community organizing, union, or university context, a public event, photo exhibit, or presentation of a written, video, or audio report, or an art project. We also count on those doing accompaniment to participate in organizing training activities for future accompaniment teams. As the PASC's existence relies on the active involvement of its members, participants are also invited to join the collective upon their return to Canada in order to be fully involved in the organizing of the project.